It has been described by many in the fire service as a “no-win situation”. For two weeks the South Fulton Fire Department in Northwestern Tennessee has been the focus of an enormous amount of discussion around the country and even around the world. The large majority of it has been negative. The fallout from this incident resulted in a physical assault on the fire chief. The chief, his firefighters and neighboring chiefs have also been the subject of phone, Internet and email threats. One chief tells me he’s even received two voodoo curses.
By now you know the South Fulton Fire Department was alerted to a fire at the home of Gene Cranick and his family but did not immediately respond because the Cranicks had not paid the department’s $75 membership fee. South Fulton and two other departments provide subscription-only fire protection to families in Obion County, a jurisdiction that does not have a fire department. South Fulton did finally respond when a call came in that the property of a neighbor, who is a subscriber was threatened by the fire. But the firefighters did nothing to save the Cranick home.
You have seen the videos on the Internet and heard the arguments on cable TV, including from such well known figures as Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher. And you’ve read the comments on STATter911.com and elsewhere (the website slashdot.org has 2000 comments from the general public on this story).
This column is not meant to rehash the merits of what was and what wasn’t done on the fireground. The purpose is to look at it solely from a public image standpoint. The big question is, given the circumstances, was there any way to keep this story from having such a negative impact on the reputation of the South Fulton Fire Department, the other local departments and the fire service in general?
From my perspective after 38-years in broadcast news, much of it covering the fire service, the short answer is yes. Even though I am sitting at a computer screen 800 miles away and have never been to Obion County, I firmly believe some of this fallout could have been avoided.
Obviously, a lot of mistakes were made. But these missteps weren’t solely because this was a rural area lacking sophistication in dealing with a reputation management issue. I’ve seen many of these same costly errors made by big city fire chiefs.
There were also some very smart moves made by a two of the local chiefs. There are things to learn from each of them. I plan to talk about that in a future column. But today’s posting deals only with the initial response to the news media on the scene and how it set the stage for what was to come.
Running from the video was not the answer
No matter what your beliefs are about the actions of the South Fulton Fire Department on September 29, the video generally told reporters and the public all they needed to know: That firefighters watched and did nothing as a family’s home burned to the ground.
I wrote in a previous posting this was the equivalent of man biting dog. Whether you like it or not this is the definition of news. Blame the news media, but get used to it. This is what reporters do for a living.
If firefighters had made even a half-hearted attempt to spray water on the house, it is likely we wouldn’t be here discussing this story. The local news would have reported a house burned down and people lost their belongings. It would have stayed local.
But of course that didn’t happen. So now what do you do if you are the fire chief and the local news has video of you and your firefighters looking like they were at a marshmallow roast while a citizen’s home was destroyed? Very simple. You better deal with it and deal with it fast or get buried by it.
Either because he couldn’t, wouldn’t or was told he shouldn’t, the local chief ran from the story. According to the initial news reports, no one from the South Fulton Fire Department would answer questions from reporters (and to my knowledge they still haven’t). Here’s how it was portrayed on the WPSD-TV website on the day of the fire:
It was only when a neighbor’s field caught fire, a neighbor who had paid the county fire service fee, that the department responded. Gene Cranick asked the fire chief to make an exception and save his home, the chief wouldn’t.
We asked him why.
He wouldn’t talk to us and called police to have us escorted off the property. Police never came but firefighters quickly left the scene. Meanwhile, the Cranick home continued to burn.
In my time I have heard every excuse imaginable as to why a fire chief won’t talk to a reporter (often the reporter was me). I have found most of the reasons short-sighted and the tactic ill-advised. In this case I believe the actions blew the only chance the department had to soften the blow of the first report and possibly re-direct where the reporter was going with this story.
It is very legitimate for the press, and in turn the general public, to try and get answers as to why the fire department failed to take action to put out a fire. I have heard from people familiar with what transpired who claim the reporter acted poorly on the scene. That may or may not be the case, but by being uncooperative and not telling their story, the South Fulton firefighters looked like they had something to hide. If they weren’t already the bad guys by failing to put water on the fire, this sealed their fate and set the tone for much that followed.
The good guys. The bad guys. And the not so bad guys.
Even in a place where they may only be a weekly newspaper and no TV station, you no longer have the luxury of waiting and presenting a nice, neatly packaged story. The Internet has changed that for good.
Now Is Too Late (updated with Now Is Too Late 2) is the title of a book written by Gerald Baron that addresses this very issue. Over the last decade Baron has advised some of the biggest companies in the world that when the crisis hits they need to tell their own story and tell it now.
Many believe, like R Adams Cowley’s groundbreaking work in trauma, there is a golden hour for trying to take control of a story before it controls you. The Internet, texting, cell phone cameras and other tools of the digital age have changed the response time requirements when dealing with a reputation or crisis management type of issue.
But something that hasn’t changed is very important in understanding why this story became such terrible news for the fire department and the fire service. It has to do with how reporters tell stories. In his book Baron repeatedly points out that reporters are always looking to place white hats and black hats on the people and institutions in their stories. They are trying to clearly let you know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.
Obviously, in this case most of the coverage placed the white hat on Mr. Cranick who lost his home. The black hats sat squarely on the heads of the fire chief and his firefighters who let the house burn.
With the visual image of the firefighters failing to do what we expect firefighters to do, even Baron or other top notch crisis communicators might have a tough time replacing the firefighters’ black hats with white ones. But I think there was a good chance those hats could have been gray if the fire chief had spoken up immediately and not tried to chase the press away.
What could the fire department have said at the scene of the fire?
In telling your story you have to be realistic and recognize that if you try to defend the indefensible, justifying to the world why it was okay for the firefighters to let a man’s house burn, you might as well keep shunning the press.
Furthermore, if the chief’s message is blame all of this on Mr. Cranick and his family, you are again likely to be digging yourself a deeper hole. Yes, we know Mr. Cranick didn’t pay his bill despite three notices and if he had paid it there wouldn’t be a story. You really aren’t going to win friends and influence people by putting the blame on someone who just lost all of his belongings and his pets. It doesn’t do you any good to kick a man while he is down. This is not the image you want the public to have of firefighters. Firefighters are supposed to be the ones who rush to take care of people like Mr. Cranick. Those who are experiencing one of the worst days of their lives.
To me, here’s the key to the fire chief’s response at the scene. A week after the fire, at a press conference held by a neighboring fire chief, we learned details behind a lengthy all-out effort by the local chiefs to ditch this subscription plan for residents of Obion County. It turns out the municipal fire chiefs generally don’t like the subscription program and had long-ago presented their plan to change things. But by the time that press conference was finally held, this important information didn’t do all that much to impact a story that had, for days, raced across the Internet and the cable news channels. Letting the public in on this a week later (and coming from someone other than the Fulton fire chief) is like making a trench cut on the immediate exposure when the fire has already spread to the end of the block.
The South Fulton Fire Department chief should have shared this information with the reporter at the scene of the fire. The message is very simple:
“This is a policy we as firefighters absolutely hate. It tears us apart to be forced to watch this happen. It is not what firefighters are supposed to do. We have been put in this untenable position by the short sightedness of the political leaders of Obion County. I have been working with the other fire chiefs in the area to change this system. We have presented a proposal to abolish the subscription fire service in this area. It has been ignored for two years. We need the public’s help in getting this changed so other families don’t have to suffer like the Cranicks.”
The most important thing about this message is that it is the truth and there is plenty of paperwork and other evidence to back it up.
It allows the chief to admit and not run from the basic story, and to explain why firefighters failed to act like firefighters. It immediately tells the public and the reporters you are on their side.
While this may not excuse firefighters from having to answer the tough moral and ethical questions about failing to take action, it makes clear who put you in this situation. I can assure you there isn’t a reporter who wouldn’t include this in their story. Instead of the headline reading Firefighters Watch House Burn, it might have said Fire Chief Blasts Policy That Let House Burn.
If this had been done right away, the fire chief’s message would have been part of the story as it made its way around the world via the Internet. It would have likely been a prominent part of any stories that followed, including the cable network gabfests. There would have been a lot more people standing up for the firefighters.
But it’s not that simple Dave
Yes, I am aware that there could have been plenty of factors that would have prevented the chief from making this statement. Among them, the chief’s bosses in South Fulton might not have allowed him to take on the political leaders of Obion County. Just as likely, is that dealing with the reporters in this manner may not have been something the fire chief even considered.
I’m sharing these thoughts not to point fingers at South Fulton by telling them what they did wrong (they have already heard plenty of that). My goal is to look at the bigger lessons for the fire service.
The fire service has plans for its response to all kinds of emergencies. But most departments don’t have a real plan in place for dealing with a situation that can absolutely destroy the trust the public has in the fire department and its firefighters. Just as a fireground commander needs to visualize where that fire is going next, someone needs to quickly figure out where the story is going before you have a different kind of conflagration on your hands.
The South Fulton episode reminds us just how fast and how far a story impacting your reputation can travel. It shows that you need to be prepared so your message can travel WITH that story and not way, way behind it.
Also on STATter911 …
- South Fulton, Tennessee’s Fire Department makes news after watching another house burn. ‘Pay for spray’ subscription policy in Obion County brings more heat for firefighters. – December 6, 2011
- ‘Pay for spray’ update: Tennessee’s South Fulton FD says it was not on scene of controversial fire. Local chief says Kentucky company got close but had no authority to act. – December 9, 2011
- Pay for spray in South Fulton, Tennessee could be changed today. Town is voting on putting out the fire & billing later. – March 15, 2012
- South Fulton Mayor David Crocker makes Keith Olbermann’s ‘Worst Persons’. – December 7, 2011
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No amount of PR gimmicks or “spin” could, would or should have been able to rectify this self-inflicted shot to the head. This is clearly & undeniably a “political” (policy) issue & the FD-heads be they career or volly (doesn’t matter!)chose that route over what is expected of them & the fire service long before this incident took place. In otherwords, they didn’t accidently or inadvertantly become mired in a political/policy issue but undoubtedly not only forgot & neglected to know & remember what they even exist for & to whom they are to serve!
This same nonsense is why “cops” have become detested nation-
wide: they CHOSE to no longer serve the people but the corporation known as the political entity (city,town,borough,
county,etc.).
We are EXPECTED by those we serve to put such idiocy exactly where it belongs: in the political arena for those that pose as “representatives” to beat & club themselves over their collective heads in dealing w/ such completely moronic policy decisions. It’s neither the expectation or duty of the fire service to act & carry out such demonic political decisions on the fireground or any incident scene for that matter.
Thus, in a nutshell, these folks from backwater TN & all the others who follow & carry out such assinine policies are not firefighters but exactly the same as politicians. They are simply “posers”, fakes, frauds & obviously thoroughly
deluded! Nor do or should they be considered among those that remain loyal & actually “serve” the fire service, their FDs & ultimately & most importantly THE PEOPLE!
That’s the least the public & we should expect of ourselves.
Bar-n-Hook
Chicagoland, USA
Great post Dave.
Maybe an abbreviated PIO class should be a requirement for State Chief Officer Curricula. This event definitely underscores the need for a PIO, even in small and rural departments.
There isn’t one of us who couldn’t find themselves involved in an incident that garners national media attention. The trick is to avoid the transition from attention to scrutiny.
Keep up the good work.
I absolutely agree with you sir. The other potential problem a fire department potentially faces on subscription based services is that if they commit their resources to a fire where dues were in default and a person who has paid their dues has an incident then the door is left wide open for a law suit there as well. It’s also a bit like an insurance policy, if you let your policy lapse then have a claim you aren’t going to collect. One of the avenue we have taken on our voluntary dues is when we send out the dues notice we advise them that if their dues are not paid and we are called we will come but we will bill them a much larger amount based on the type of call. We have wrestled with this problem for years since most of our income comes from voluntary dues. Times are tough and we understand that but just because our dues are down we don’t get a break on fuel and power bills. It would be a terrible thing if we could not answer the call because the trucks were out of fuel
Dave, excellent article. This could all have been avoided if the elected officials had looked beyond generating revenue. Guess the old statement is true, you can’t legislate common sense.
My 2 cents from California.
A. If the Fire Department had been aware of the home owners Insurance Policy Provisions of Cost Recovery contained within it, this should not have been issue.
B. Same as if the Fire Department had written a policy stating that a fee reimbursement from the Insurance Policy or seperate Fire Service Response fee of three times the subscription fee would be charged.
C. The fallout from this is, what has been written above and on other web sites and as I’ve stated elsewhere, it gives the Fire Service Industry a “Black eye”.
City Managers usually have “No Clue” about what we actually do on a Task Level, and its up to the indvidual FD to educate them on this. Otherwise their only contact with the FD is through the:
Media and Motion Picture Industry.
D. Their really isn’t a need to go through another story like this, so Chief’s look at what you’re doing locally in similiar situations like this and beyond.
Don’t forget, even at the command level not everyone is granted the ability to run a media management operation, whether it be post-incident or not. My director has to go 2 levels over his head to give so much as a quote via email to the media. You’re lucky if the clearance comes the same week as the request.
CBEMT,
You are absolutely right. I am not ignorant of the reality. Have dealt with it many times. I have watched fire chiefs have to do great harm to the department’s image because the higher ups won’t let them do the right thing.
The whole idea of writing this is to get people thinking and talking about this concept. Instead of saying “Wha happened?” after you get run over by the runaway semi, I am saying it may be possible to step out of the way. Just like a pre-plan for a building, the department should have a plan to deal with a major crisis that is an attack on its reputation.
Unfortunately the default position is to run and hide from it. It doesn’t work. You have to deal with it swiftly, tell your story and get it behind you.
This is not spin. It is the opposite of it. Spin doesn’t work. Even if you are able to BS the reporter there are too many others who will call you on it on the Internet and elsewhere.
It is a much different ballgame now and the sooner people realize it the better they will be prepared to try and handle it.
Thanks for the comments.
Dave
Again I will say, This was an avoidable unfortunate incident for everyone involved, but if the deadbeat home owner would have paid his bill we would not be here today. But here we are and it is an ugly situation to be in. Bar N Hook you are an idiot for making such an assinine statement, that they are not firefighters, but are posers and frauds. Though I do not agree with the policy in Tenn, I understand why it was done. It is painfully obvious that you have no experience dealing with a boss, who said they will fire you if you put that fire out. Until you have walked a mile in the South Fulton Chief’s shoes I recommend you keep your ignorant, uninformed and opinionated mouth shut. I would guarantee that if the powers that be in the great CHICAGOLAND told you not to put a house out for someone who did not pay their bill or you will lose your job, you would not either, because noone is paying your bills, feeding your kids, or paying your rent. Your are not hardly going to risk your job for a DEADBEAT, PERIOD! Oh and don’t preach to us about remaining loyal and serving the people, because you are probably a paid guy who won’t get off the couch at the station to get dinner unless it is a four hour minimum OT callout.
Dave,
Another great posting. I read a ton of Fire/EMS news pieces through newslists. There are situations across the US every single day where a department’s image is on the line. The way they handle them can set them on a course for good or bad. I took a couple public relations courses in college that I truly enjoyed because I could see the importance and the immediate need. You gotta anticipate how things are going to play out and have a game plan from the get go. PIO’s don’t have to be full time employees. Small departments can designate persons to handle the task, and do some at your own pace studying on how to play the part. There has to be someone who can speak and departments have to set policies so there are no embarrassing mistakes.
We don’t allow the rank and file to speak to the media, but designate any chief officer present to handle it if no PIOs are on scene. The PIOs can handle further questions if needed when they get there. The Police here are even better at getting in front of a story. Their PIOs seem to be riding on patrol when something happens based on how fast as they appear. It is vital to keeping the image of the department positive, and to keep a story from taking a turn that someone else wants it to take.
South Fulton should be a glaring example for departments to follow on what not to do.
Hey Dave,
I think it would be interesting to know if the fire department chose the subscription based fire protection system, or if they are merely working under a system dealt to them by the local politicians. Firefighters shouldn’t have to work under a system like this – I said it before, and I will say it agian; its a barbaric system. The root of this problem is the system itself. Homeowners shouldn’t be given an option of paying for fire protection, and firefighters shouldn’t be put in a situation where they have to deny services to someone who hasn’t paid.
Excellent post.
For more information on the Obion Fire, please see: http://obionfire.blogspot.com/
WVFirefighter….wonder what would happen if an ambulance showed up to your home because you had trouble breathing and as it was getting considerably worse, the EMT’s wouldn’t treat you because you didn’t have health insurance. Whether this fire tax was paid or not, I’m sure South Fulton’s Bravest would have done the same thing that comes naturally to you…NOTHING….Now run along and go put some more I walk where the devil dances stickers on your Metro Helmet and some more Im a hero stickers on your car…Your not just a tool…Your all the tools in the bag and then some…
HOOKMAN, you are probably not aware of this because of your extended time on the golf course, but your analogy falls flatter than roadkill. It is illegal, that is against the law, nationally to deny medical care to someone based on their ability to pay.
Go back to the driving range as once again your ignorance is showing.
I wonder if this event made as much news in Tenn as it did the rest of the country.This policy is widely know in Tenn. it is not new.I am suprised that the f.d. responded as some dept. keep a list of customers and wont respond if your name is not on the list.I dont agree with this policy but it is thier policy.The home owner shares a bit of blame knowing if he paid $75.00 he would be covered,this might have been reimbersed by his insurace company.
Evidently I either failed to adequately spell out the chief problem of this incident in my view or there exists those in the fire service that are in (career or volly!) it for all the wrong reasons. What does the fire service/FDs exist for? To protect our communities & it’s inhabitants! Period!!!
We don’t pick & choose whom we’ll serve, who lives or dies, who has insurance & who doesn’t, we don’t do it based on race, religion, affluence, charity or politics. We do it because that is not only what we exist for, but it’s our DUTY to our neighbors be they friend or foe & it’s that SERVICE that is EXPECTED of us when called upon. Now if that value system is beyond one’s grasp or sounds all too truistic for those whom have attempted to usurp the role of God Himself, then I pity you & those whom come in contact with you.
This is a slippery slope that will rapidly increase in speed downward ending in complete disaster for the fire service! Shall we soon begin to stop treating injured persons in our communities simply because they may be travelers from elsewhere & didn’t pay their taxes specificly to this community. Do we conduct a fireground audit of the persons entrapped in a fire building before searching for them to determine if they payed their taxes first? That’s where this leads! Those that suggest such are as I stated in the original comment: posers, frauds & fakes! They are NOT among those that do represent what the fire service is, or at least what remains of it. Therefore I stand behind that statement.
As for the individual from WV, since you want to get personal, dare I ask: You wouldn’t happen to be one of those that happens to have those “NO FEAR” stickers on your car & lid would ya now? As we all know, only those that have NO FEAR are the bestest firefighters & have been in the trenches right? And to your assinine question: NO, I would NOT obey any human idiot wearing a white hat enshrined in bugles that ordered firefighters to NOT do their duty. In otherwords, it’s NOT & never has been about a paycheck. It’s called being a human! Think that over before posting again & living up to all our expectations.
Again, realize that this incident illustrates that the fire service & that which is expected of us by the public is being purposefully manipulated to become a political pawn by politicians for strictly political purposes. The FD in question from TN, whether unknowingly or willingly they’ve permitted themselves to become the thug enforces of an extortion racket. Don’t pay? Burn up, die we don’t care! Harsh? Yes. Simplistic? Yes. But accurate & true none the less. That (extortionists) is not what we are here for & nor should such politicisation be granted even a toe-hold in the fire service & it’s ideology. If that makes me naive, unrealistic & an idiot, well I accept that too. But I can sleep at night knowing that I didn’t sell out my fellow people & colleagues for 30-shekles!
Bar-n-Hook,
Chicagoland
This disturbs and embarrasses me greatly. It is a tragedy for the people whose home was lost. It is a tragedy for the department who was placed in this unfortunate situation handed down by the confines bureaucratic shackles. And it is a tragedy to the espirit de corps of the fire service at large. To me, the cut to the spirit is the deepest. It is one that desecrates all the hard work and sacrifices of those before us who have spilt blood, sweat, and tears to build a foundation of strength, pride, and compassion that people across the world associate with what it is exactly that we do. Think this doesn’t exist? Pay attention to the next call you run where emotions are running high between citizens and their needs. Then watch as sighs of relief settle and calm that comes by a fire truck simply turning the corner. Now, lets get this right, I’m not mentioning this for any sel-serving interests, damage to my own ego, or damage to other narcissistic hallmarks to make ourselves look/feel good at parades or in bars chasing tail. I’m bringing it to light because it is the tacit and immeasurable symbol of our dedication, our will, our courage, our unwavering commitment to serve our fellow man that drives us to success. When we make conscious decisions along the lines of the circumstances that unfolded here, it not only ruins someone’s life, the public’s perception of us, and introduces matters of conflict into our organization, it shames our spirit. A spirit that has built this profession to its high level of standard. A spirit that has been there to carry us through some of our darkest moments we have suffered. A spirit that serves as a back stop to keeps us from falling apart. A spirit that serves as the fuel to energize us when called to burn our candle at both ends. A spirit that says no matter what, when we show up, we will do no harm and take calculated risks to make someone’s worst day of their life better. A spirit that drives us to put it all on the line for a brother or sister in physical danger or emotional need. Because you know that they would be there to do the same for you. I take great comfort in this. I take great pride in this. It is what was instilled in me by the salts and continues to motivate me as they pass the stick to the next generation.
I’m getting chills merely thinking of this common bond that binds us and serves as the metronome of our being and faith in one another. You often here troops talk of this uniting sense of spirit that is rooted in the remarkable things they do in battle. I believe the line goes something like “it’s not about you, but the guy next to you.”.
It looks like the oath of service and duty taken was transcended by a $75 tax… Maybe this dept just pays lip service to the swearing in and considers it a hoop to jump through when joining the ranks. I don’t know. But the dept in which i’m privileged to serve would not tolerate anything other than absolute faith, trust, and purpose in our oath. But then again, we emphatically believe to our bones that these things of which we do “so that others may live”.
My point is this: 1. The faith, recognition, and support we’ve earned by the public has taken a hard blow. And not from a damaged glory hound ego sense, the outpouring of support boosts our spirits, motivates us out of bed at zero dark stupid, and reminds us that we are a part of something greater than ourselves. 2. The desecration of our oath of service reaches far beyond shaming this dept and blankets the fire service at large with a wound that could ultimately shake our internal comfort and reliance on the brotherhood woven in the underlying fabric to be there for one another.
Again, I’m embarrassed for our service. I’m deeply sorry for the loss suffered by this family. And I hope that our knife wound suffered to the fabric of what it is exactly that we stand for can be mended and will not further tear to the point where this job becomes reflective of nothing I spoke of above and is just a “punch the clock” gig.
Marky….I’m so sorry boo that you can’t read into what I wrote…I said, I wonder….I did not say this would occur..I made an example…Of course someone like yourself who’s brain is similar in size to a pea, would actually think one would arrive at someones home asking for their health insurance card…Do yourself a favor and don’t walk on any roads near me…I tend to hug the white line a bit…kisses….
Alright, lets keep it civil. Lets discuss the case itself, no need for the personal attacks. We are supposed to look after one another, right? I did not like how that neighboring chief replied to one of my posts “talking about my thought process”, but I did not choose to sink to that level and engage in a bunch of what we call “ya ya”. We can agree to disagree, and it is a free country. I have not heard back from anyone yet, if the department involved received any AFG money? Some of us down here have started looking at our books (state code) to see if there is anything that addresses this from a legal perspective…Maybe if there is not, maybe time to add something on the books to keep something like this from ever happening here. Take it easy, No.1 Statter Fan in Virginia
Bar n Hook. I am also from Chicagoland. You are way off the mark. The ‘victim” knew damn well he was rolling the dice when he decided not to pay his FAIR SHARE of HIS RESPONSIBILITY for protecting HIS property. He lost. Fire protection isn’t cheap. It is a rotten situation but it is hard to feel sorry for someone who expects to USE THE SYSTEM off everyone else’s back. We already have too many leeches living off the rest of us.
well said East. By the way Hookman, and Bar n Hook, I said I did not agree with the policy but I do understand it, and disagree that you would disreguard a direct order from your boss, thats alot of talk when your job is not on the line. Unfortunately, I would have to stand there also if ordered to, cause noone is paying my bills for me, so if I disreguard my orders can my family come live with you and you provide for us?
Also I do not wear a metro, I do not believe in no fear stickers, and I am a card carrying dues paying IAFF member with 20 years of experience. Does’nt make my opinion or beliefs better or worse than yours. Just believe public safety services are not free and it is expensive to operate those services, whether career or volunteer.
WVFF….you associate paid guys in your posts, so now your telling us your a paid guy…I think you confuse yourself….Whether there’s policy in place in East Podunk County, you’ll always have the ones that will and the cowards that won’t, despite who’s in charge… Since they took their sweet ass time getting there, how would they know if there were exposures (as in adjacent homes)and if one of these exposures was someone that did pay their F’UP tax…Won’t know that, because they’re taking their sweet old time to get there and once they do arrive, they can make a decision while the other houses burn to the ground…
Dave, your article was pretty fair, but you misplaced the blame. The situation in Obion County didn’t occur because the county council refuses to fund a fire department, it’s because the CITIZENS of Obion County have voted for elected officials that will vote their will – which is that they don’t want a tax-funded fire department.
And Bar-and-Hook, when you state that fire departments exist to protect their community, you’re absolutely right…but you apparently missed the fact that Obion County, where the fire occurred isn’t in the City of South Fulton, so the fire didn’t occur in their community.
Does your fire department provide free fire protection for neighboring jurisdictions that don’t have a fire department?
If not, then your statements are more than a little hypocritical.
Resq3man,
In this column I am not really addressing the issue on how it got this way. Not blaming anyone. The point I am making is that no matter how this came to be it is the fire department that looks bad for not putting out the fire and the way they dealt with it (or were ordered to deal with it) did not make it any better for them.
How you address an issue that impacts your department’s reputation is important. These days if it isn’t a timely and effective response you will likely never catch up.
Thanks.
Statter
Admittedly my ability to express things as easily as I or anyone would like is lacking often times.In fact I come across quite abrasive & caustic actually. Love me or hate me, that’s not the point. The article author (D.Statter “Pay to spray media lesson”)was suggesting that some aggressive PR attempt should have been made. I don’t disagree w/ that, but at the end of the day it’s merely a bandaid on a gaping wound, if not amputation & quite possibly a decapitation to the fire service. It matters not whether the FD involved in this “political fiasco” was career, volly or any of that. They call themselves “firefighters” but when called upon to do such, they CHOSE not to do so simply because their value system was premised not on fullfilling the duty that comes w/ the title “Firefighter” but on that of being a paid-in-full customer. In otherwords: No kaching No Service. They (the so-called “FD” in question) voluntarily chose to prostitute themselves & indirectly the fire service generally. That’s the point being missed or glossed over. As I originally stated, no amount of PR & spin would, could or should rectify what they self imposed on themselves. That’s the point!
As one comment suggested: this guy (victim) rolled the dice & played w/ fire & got burned. Now that’s impressive compassion & empathy for your fellow man is it not? Evidently some have failed to take in the scenery & the folks around them where & to whom they allegedly took a oath to serve. Again, this mentality (facist, bribery, extortion, etc.) that has creeped into the fire service will undoubtedly be the plank upon which the fire service will make it’s death walk. To further illustrate this cancer in the fire service is what one above suggested (paraphrased): I gotta follow orders & that’s what pays my bills. Gosh, where’d we hear that one before? Oh that’s right, the Nuremburg Trials where all the Nazi soldiers testified to only “following orders”. Is this really what the fire service has sunk to? Money? With that mentality & subsequent policies we will undoubtedly witness whole neighborhoods & cities burnt simply because there are those that for whatever reason couldn’t pay their taxes, subscriptions & bribe monies. That really IS where this doctrine leads to!
Yes, the fire service is a expense. But we always went & did our job when called upon. It didn’t matter if they were tax paying people, welfare recipients or the destitute. They were HUMAN PERSONS that needed our help & it was our duty be it individually or collectively to render such.
Now I ask again, will dressing the pig up & putting lipstick (PR, spin, etc.)on it make the pig not a pig? If this is where you want to go with the fire service the choice is yours. Just as it was for those folks that call themselves firefighters down in Tenn. If you want to be pimped, go for it but one day you too will be that victim wondering why in the hell those you always knew would help when things got desperate won’t lift a damn finger simply because you were broke or your papers weren’t in order! Enjoy the Frankenstein you helped create. And don’t forget to dress the piggy up once in awhile when it squells. That’ll make it all better.
Bar-n-Hook,
You are coming through loud and clear. It is my message that is apparently garbled by the time it reaches you.
From the start of this, despite some criticism by others of my position, I said the firefighters should have put the fire out. I still believe that. Standing around watching someone’s property being destroyed and not taking action for the want of $75 is not what firefighters do. I also said in my original column this is bad for all firefighters. I think that is pretty much your position. We are in agreement that I see.
This column is a different animal. This is about what to do when you have a reputation problem like this (obviously the first thing is not to have it, in this case by putting water on the fire). But what I think I have to offer from my experience in the news media and doing this blog for more than three years is advice on how to communicate when there is a crisis or reputation issue.
By the way, there is no spin here. This is telling the truth and it is not even a selective truth. My advice is to come clean from the start. Get it out, get it right and get it behind you. I pointed out they probably would not avoid the moral and ethical questions associated with not putting out the fire, but they did themselves a disservice by not talking to the reporter and providing insight into why things are the way they are.
This advice is the basically the same whether you have a naked firefighter cooking in DC or money missing in Burton, DC (see how that chief handled the situation http://tinyurl.com/25r9o8u ).
Spin really doesn’t work anymore. Most people fail trying to do it.
Statter
If I understood what you were actually talking about “Bar” I would give you a better response. I certainly dont need a morality lesson from you though. I stand by my post.